


Late nights, and Long talks

by TheBlackLagoon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, Keith is mentioned, Maybe a little bit of Klance, Mostly just Lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 21:56:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11953437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlackLagoon/pseuds/TheBlackLagoon
Summary: Lance can't sleep, and apparently neither can Red. Lance shares some stories, and she listens.(This is literally just a way of giving Lance the hug he deserves)





	Late nights, and Long talks

**Author's Note:**

> Wow- sorry for the people who follow me. I like- never update- and I just drop stories if their not One shots. How do I call my self a writer. Anyway, if anyone likes the new Voltron, and is also part of the Lance McClain protection squad, hope you enjoy my 1 a.m ramblings.

Lance wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He’d been laying down for hours now, in the chill darkness of his room, but sleep would not find him. Every time he tried to close his eyes, images of battle, bright explosions, and memories of searing pain and muscles tightening in fear, would flash into his subconscious. His heart would start to race so fast it felt like it was going to burst, panic gripping his limbs as he tried to slow his labored breathing. All in all, Lance was pretty God damn tired. The past few nights in which he’d gotten sleep, hadn’t been much better. He’d wake in pools of sweat, shaky and confused, with the very real need to cry out for help. The nightmares were the worst he was sure, worse than no sleep. At least, that’s what Lance kept trying to tell himself.

With a sigh, he pushed himself from the bed, grabbing his blanket to combat the cold air of the ship, as he made his way for the door. Night walks usually did the trick when he had trouble sleeping. But that had always been back on Earth. And here, in the vastness of space, on an alien spaceship, he had no cool dew dropped grass to walk through. He had no clean ocean air to breath in. He had nothing familiar to ground his troubled thoughts. So he just walked, bare feet on the freezing floor, blue fleece blanket trailing on behind him.

Sometime later, maybe in four minutes, or maybe an hour, he found himself in the lions hangar. He hadn’t meant to come, not really, and yet, he was sure this is where he was supposed to be. He was being called here, but not by Blue. His relationship with her was- rocky at best now that Allura was her pilot. Lance still had trouble looking at her. It was the Red lion’s eyes that glowed luminescent, yellow in the darkened spaceship. They seemingly followed him as he made his way to her front. He sat down quietly in front of her, eye’s heavy with his need for sleep. 

“You called?" He asked, gazing up placidly at the lions stony features. The creature made no move to show recognition of this. Lance sighed and played with the fraying ends of his blanket. This is what she always did, and he was getting sick of it. 

Since Shiro's disappearance and reappearance, roles had been switched. Keith had been stuck with black, by Shiro's own orders. So Red had been left. At first Allura had tried to coax the great beast into letting her pilot, but Keith had been adamant that the lion had communicated that Lance was her next paladin. So he'd tried to get her to open up to him, and she had. But it seemed there was something crucial to their relationship that he was missing. Because she would not leave him alone. Any time she could it seemed, she’d reach out to him, coaxing him into the hangar, to sit and- talk. Just talk. 

Keith hadn’t really understood when Lance had tried explaining his dilemma with the lion. Apparently late night chats had not been a thing with the previous Red paladin. Which was just great, just great for Lance. Coran and Allura suggested it was because of the quick switch up that Red just needed a little help getting to know her new ward. Which would make sense, if he wasn’t mentally bonded to the big metal beast. She knew plenty about him without him having to spill his guts. And he knew that’s what she wanted him to do, because whenever he sat down in front of her, the words seemed to flow from his mouth, like a faucet had been turned on in his brain. 

"If you explained why I’m doing this, maybe I wouldn’t be so grumpy about it. We could actually work together as a team. Because right now it just feels like- like I’m being dragged along for the ride. I mean, I'm no Keith, but I've got my perks, I’m a good partner," Lance sighed dazedly, shifting his position so he was leaned up against Reds leg. There was just quiet from the beast. No psychic link initiated or anything. Lance rolled his eyes.

"You know, blues not even my favorite color, it's actually red. Well, not exactly a red, red but- orangish, red- a sunset red. Which ya know, mí madre, she loves sunsets. You'd like her, I think. She's definitely feisty enough to pilot you. And stubborn enough, she can be really stubborn...and obviously so can you." Lance frowned slightly. Thinking of his mother hurt. The concept of distance from where he was now, to where home was, it always hurt to think of. A hollow ache that started in his chest that just spread until it became harder and harder for him to get out of bed each day for their next mission. There always seemed to be another mission. 

"I know you're probably upset you're losing Keith. I mean he's a good paladin, a- a good partner, and I don't exactly love leaving Blue either, but it's a necessity. We have to form Voltron. You like saving the world, don't you? I mean that's the only thing keeping me going. Knowing I'm doing this for the good of the universe. Sometimes I feel like that’s the only reason I’m here-” Lance stopped, glancing back at Red in slight surprise. He could have sworn he’d felt her purr. So he went on.

“I mean, I love my teammates, and their my, like- honorary family, but- I miss mama’s hugs, I miss being babied. Which is stupid, and if Keith ever heard me say that, he’d rule it over my head for weeks, but, it’s true. I just- want to be her kid again. Because up here, I don't get to be a kid. And I try, I really try to have fun. And I guess I do, in the quiet moments, but- the chances of my survival, of all our survivals, is so slim. How can I be a kid and know stuff like that, and have it be true?” Lance clenched his teeth, screwing up his eyes, forcing himself to stay calm. But Red was definitely awake now, and he could feel her nudging him through their weird mental bond to keep going. He was obviously getting somewhere. 

“I know! I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, because everyone else seems to be doing fine. I mean sure Hunk talks about his family sometimes, but- he wasn’t incredibly close to his parents anyway. And not in a bad way, I just think that they pushed him a little too far, to be the best he could be and all that. I- I think he’s happier up here, where he knows he’d be making them proud, but far enough away to not have them breathing down his neck anymore. But I know mí mama, she wouldn’t- she hates me being in danger. I hate to think- that if she knew I was doing this, that I wasn’t trying to get back to her- that-” And know the tears were welling up in his eyes, his lips quivering, trying to keep a broken sob from escaping. He sucked in a couple of shaky breaths, wiping away fat tears streaking down his face. Red gently prodded at his mind, and for a moment he could feel warmth blossom in his chest. It was as a good as a hug he thinks she could give him.

“Did you just want me to cry? Because honestly, there are way easier ways of doing that. Just dis my mix-tape next time and you’ll be good,” Lance let out a wobbly laugh, and somehow he felt red chuckle as well. Psychic links were always gonna be odd. 

“But I- I think I know why you did this. I feel- better now- you’re not exactly mí mama, but, your- hug- felt a lot like one of hers. So, thanks,” Lance said settling back against her, and she purred softly. Their talk was done, but Lance stayed seated, eyes slowly drooping shut. In a few moments he was asleep, Red soothingly stroking at his mind, so it almost, almost felt like his mom putting him to bed.


End file.
